food, family, and faith

The sun is shining; the birds are chirping; the windows have been opened for a breath of fresh air. The boys are fighting; there’s dog hair everywhere (I do mean EVERYWHERE); it smells like only Florida can smell in the spring – fishy. The good and the bad = Balance.

We moved away from strict Paleo a few months ago. It was hard. The boys were feeling deprived of all the wonderful snack crackers, and it was obvious gluten-free was not helping Whiz’s behavior issues. We switched to a Feingold approach and found a measure of peace. Whiz’s behavior is acceptable (i.e. we can now live with the quirkiness without it consuming us), everyone sleeps better, and with the help of essential oils – no one has had more than a minor sniffle. So, that’s the good.

The bad – I still can’t handle some foods really well – mostly breads, pastas, and dairy. All the good and yummy things, well, not ALL, but a big chunk of what is comforting. I still eat them, but with a large chunk of moderation thrown in. Knowing that a bowl of ice cream will likely cause me to have a tummy ache and perform like crap the next day during my workout is powerful. Yes, I still have ice cream, just not a bowl, and not before an important workout (heavy strength days, long METCONs, etc.).

One thing I’ve missed is pancakes. I love me some pancakes! So, after pursuing the internet, I found some alternatives! There’s the old standard of two eggs and a banana. Good, but not awesome. My Lemon Blueberry Paleo Pancakes, good, but still require extra ingredients. I wanted more protein, and less reliance on having a banana on hand. We eat a lot of bananas, so it’s not like I always have them around. The new pancake recipes has four ingredients. FOUR! And, no banana required.

Here’s what you need for one serving:

3 eggs, scrambled

1/2 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen, but be sure to thaw and drain the frozen first)

1/2 – 1 teaspoon of vanilla

cinnamon to taste

Directions:

Scramble the eggs together really well, making sure the egg whites are fulling incorporated. Add in the vanilla and cinnamon and give it a good whisk. It should look like this:

Pour the eggs into a hot pan coated with fat of choice. I use ghee, butter, or coconut oil. Whatever is easiest. Let it set a bit.

See how the edges are looking more done? Give the pan a bit of a swirl to let some more raw egg go over the edges. Then, add your blueberries.

After few minutes, the edges should be getting dry. Now, flip the whole thing. The goal is to try to not break it apart. Easier said than done, but possible, you just need a big spatula.

Once it’s flipped, I turn off the heat and let it sit in the pan for about 2-3 more minutes to finish cooking the egg and blueberries.

Now, flip it onto a big plate.

Okay, it’s not gorgeous, but it tastes so much like a blueberry pancake! Thrown in an apple and 3 teaspoons of sliced almonds and you have a wonderful 3 block zone breakfast, or a 100% Paleo breakfast, or a Whole30 approved breakfast, or just breakfast!

I’ll be the first to admit my skepticism about essential oils. How could putting a dab of oil on myself help anything? Boy, was I wrong! I am no longer a skeptic. Even better, the hubs (who originally thought I was bonkers for spending any money on those little bottles of oil) is 100% on board with using essential oils as well!

I signed up for the Starter Kit from a certain company. I honestly don’t know the in-depth policy on saying their name, so if you want to know which company – let me know, and I will tell you! Yes, there are other companies out there, but trust me when I say I did my research – months and months of research comparing the different companies. I chose this company because they have been on the market longer and with that, a more proven track record. Also, I really liked their manufacturing policies of being involved at every level of production. Taking the time to care for the land and the people who are working the land leads to me to believe more in the company as a whole as well.

We’ve been using the oils for eight months now. In the beginning, they were used mostly in the diffuser to make the house smell nice. Then, I jumped on board and signed up for their monthly rewards. Every month I order a minimum dollar amount of oils (trust me when I say it’s easy to go overboard), and for that order, I get 1) reduced shipping and 2)rewards points. I can use my rewards points at any time (just not on another rewards order). By signing up for the rewards, I have expanded my oils from the essentials, and have fallen in LOVE with others I never would have tried!

Here’s how my oily day goes:

In the morning, I drink a small glass of water with a drop or two of lemon. Sometimes, if I’ve been out in public a ton, or someone isn’t feeling well, or if the box (Crossfit term) seems full of people with the sniffles, I put a drop or two of thieves my feet. I also put Joy over my heart (mentally and physically).

After breakfast, I’ll put something uplifting, like peppermint and lemon or orange in the diffuser to get the boys moving. Some days, I put Vetiver, Cedarwood, or even Lavender in the diffuser to chill them out. It all depends on their mood as to what I have going in the school room. If they are really having a hard time focusing, I have a blend of Cedarwood, Lavender, Vetiver, and Valor for their toes (they don’t like the smell). Some days, I slather myself with Stress Away and/or Peace and Calming (homeschooling is NOT for the faint of heart). Throughout the morning, I drink water with some form of citrus dropped in – Lemon, Orange, Lime, or my favorite, Grapefruit.

After my workout (and shower), I use Aroma Siez and Wintergreen to help those achey muscles relax. I usually use a dab of coconut oil with my oils when I’m trying to massage them into my muscles. If the soreness is pretty intense (second day soreness is the worst!), then I make a capsule of Copaiba, Wintergreen, and Balsam Fir and within minutes, I’m feeling better. The hubs also uses this blend after a long day on his arthritic ankle with great success.

When it’s time for bed, I put a few drops of Cedarwood and Lavender or Peace and Calming in the diffuser for our bedroom. I’ll put Thieves on again if I was overly exposed to germs during the day. I will also use coconut oil with Lemongrass and Lemon on my legs to help with mild spider veins that seems to appear after heavy lifting days. We both put a dab of Cedarwood behind our ears most nights, and occasionally a dab of Vetiver on our toes if we are having a hard time getting our brains to shut down (Okay, that’s mostly me, because right before bed is when I remember EVERYTHING I either forgot to do, or need to do). We were having a hard time sleeping straight through the night, but now, we sleep until the alarm! I’m hoping to get a few another diffuser for the Whiz’s rooms, but for now, they each get a dab of lavender on their toes if they are having a hard time relaxing.

We’ve also used our essential oils instead of OTC drugs! The hubs uses the capsules I mentioned earlier for arthritis. For tummy problems (which are thankfully rare with our current clean eating ways), a drop of peppermint right on the tummy works in minutes. This past allergy season, we were able to use only homeopathic drops and essential oils to get us all through the nasty sniffles and itchy eyes (first time in years we didn’t use prescriptions). For my headaches, I am able to keep most of them under control with a blend of valor and peppermint. Unfortunately, I haven’t found an oil or blend that works on my exercise induced migraines, but I haven’t giving up hope of finding one! When we get the sniffles, I’m dropping spoonfuls of Thieves and Lemon mixed with honey down throats (or mixed with tea), and no one has suffered a major cold! And finally, after my most recent surgery, I have able to get off pain meds after just a few days thanks to my oils, and I didn’t experience my normal panic attacks at the hospital either! Bonus!

So, do oils work? They do for us! They haven’t “cured” any of our ailments, but they sure do help us feel better about not filling our bodies with OTC or prescription drugs.

If you have any questions about the company I use, or how I use them on a daily basis, just ask!

Have you ever felt called to do something? Yeah, me too, but here’s the catch, I have NO IDEA WHAT IT IS! I have had this nagging “feeling” like I’m supposed to be doing something; something beyond myself and my family, but the what of the feeling has yet to be revealed. It’s like God is preparing me for something, but I’m almost afraid to know what exactly it is, because there’s a strong possibility it’s totally going to take me outside every comfort zone I have set in place.

It’s not that it’s a bad thing; it’s just a scary thing. We set ourselves up in our comfort zones because, well, it’s comfortable. We don’t want to leave. Knowing our surroundings makes us feel safe. Safety is good. Safety is comfortable. Safety is not how the world changes. Having to step outside our comfortable, good, safe zones takes more than courage; it’s takes faith.

Do I have the faith I need to do whatever it is that is tugging at my heart and mind? I hope so, but I have doubt. Pesky logic. I have felt drawn to read my Bible daily, to read others thoughts on stepping outside of their comfort zones. Neither has been overly comforting. When I flip open my Bible (Yes, I generally just randomly open it, and I start reading figuring God will lead me to where He wants me.), sometimes it’s not what I want to hear. Here are a few verses that I have been lead to recently:

The Entire Book of James (I decided to hand copy it because, yeah, I don’t know. I felt compelled to do so, and I also made Tater copy it as well.)

2 Timothy 1:7: For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-discipline.

1 Timothy 4:12: Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

1 Peter 2:21: For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

2 Peter 1:5: For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,

And a few more, but those were the “big” ones that stuck out to me. There was also one more, that keeps being repeated in my head; one most of us know:

Proverbs 3: 5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Stepping out in faith means stepping out beyond myself. Not knowing where the steps will take me is daunting, especially when I’m not even sure what direction I’m going. I just know I need to go.

I’m I taking the big, giant leap NOW? No, or at least I don’t think so. I am be prepared for whatever it is. My heart is getting set saying “Yes, this is what you are supposed to do. Learn, read, pray. This is right.” While my mind on the other hand is saying “No, stop! Go the other direction. This is not right. This is going to hurt.” Having the faith to know that God’s got whatever this may be is putting a strain between the two.

Our minds and our hearts work differently. The Bible talks about guarding our hearts; leading our hearts. Why? Because in time, our thoughts and actions come from the heart. When the heart changes, the mind will eventually follow, whether good or bad. Right now, my heart is changing, but my mind is not. It needs to get with the program. The constant battle between the two is exhausting!

I hope and pray God will let me know either subtly like the gently whisper of a butterfly or not so subtly with gigantic fireworks what it is I am feeling called to do. Either way, I’m good. The unknown is a scary place, but I’m preparing. I’m getting ready.

Yeah! I finished the Whole30!! I didn’t stick to the plan 100%, but I still saw results. I lost 0.5 inches from my neck, 2.5 inches from my waist, 3 inches from my hips, and a total of 7.5 pounds.

Lets put this into perspective. I went to see a nutritionist back in October who put me on a limited calorie/low-fat/high carb diet. I did not shed a single pound (I actually gained weight….), and I was miserable because I was so hungry all the time. After almost two months of tracking calories, nutrients, and all that, I gave up. It’s just not something that you can stick with long-term. I also noticed during this time, I just didn’t have the strength and endurance I wanted.

Then, I decided to try Whole30. There’s no calorie counting, measuring is mostly eyeballing it, and it’s premise made sense (simple foods as nature intended). I was hesitant at first, but decided to embrace it and just go with it. I mean, any plan that tells you to eat until you are full, and snack if you really need to, can’t be too bad. This past month, I Rxed every WOD I knew the skills for (darn you double-unders and chest-to-bar pull-ups!). I slept great, and had a bit more energy than before (not a large difference, but just enough).

The hardest part was not the beginning of the diet. It was the last 4-5 days. I was so over it (or so I thought) and just wanted that dang cream in my coffee and a cookie! But, I stuck to it, all the way until the morning of day 31. Day 31 was awesome – cream in my coffee and a slice of homemade toast to go along side my eggs, veggies, and fruit. It was glorious! Then I had Chik-Fil-A (but didn’t finish it), a homemade roll with dinner, and a homemade gluten-free cookie. It was a good day.

There is a pretty good chance I will be following the Whole30 idea on a weekly basis. I will follow it fairly strict for a week (even giving up that cream in the coffee), and then relax a bit for a week (not going hod wild). I think that is a more reasonable approach for me.

I’m extremely happy I stuck with the Whole30. My results were better than I expected, and I never really felt deprived (just slightly annoyed at times).

We are roughly 2/3’s of the way through our school “year.” Why is year in quotation marks? Because our year isn’t a standard school year, or calendar year, or really even a year. I can’t really say we’re 2/3’s through their grade, because we’ve already moved up a grade in a few subjects. Homeschooling can be so weird when it comes to defining time.

But, one thing is for sure, we are in a slump.

It has finally decided to be winter here in LA (lower Alabama, otherwise known as the Panhandle of Florida). It’s cold (for us). It’s cloudy. It’s windy. We have to wear real shoes, with actual socks for goodness sakes! This new season, which I will call pre-spring, is not helping. All I want to do is sit on the couch with my hot tea, pull up a blanket, cuddle with a lap dog or two, and watch 5 episodes of something on Netflix while navigating Pinterest for the perfect post-Whole30 meal. The boys are feeling the same way, just replace tea with cocoa and Pinterest with Minecraft. Real productive, and not going to happen.

Don’t we all wish this was how we could spend our school day sometimes?

Some homeschool blogs recommend taking a break. These bloggers are obviously not Type A. And we also have breaks coming up that I can’t reschedule.

1) The boys are getting a slight break next week while my in-laws are here watching them while I have surgery up in Birmingham. Fun times for all, I’m sure. They will still have school work to accomplish, but fewer subjects, and more creative projects. I’ll be chilling in a hospital room for a few days, so I might get to binge watch some Netflix and navigate Pinterest until I just can’t handle anymore memes, but it’s just not the same as doing it at home.

2) We have a camping trip in April planned for Mississippi! Tater’s 12 year birthday present is an 8 hour deep-sea fishing trip! He’s never been deep-sea fishing, or out on the ocean in anything smaller than a cruise ship. I shall cover my child in every motion sickness item I can find. I want him enjoy his time, not spend it hurling his guts over the side. In order for this fishing to occur without have to trade a kidney in the deal, we are going to Mississippi where charters are less expensive. Chances of school work being accomplished – 0% (Although I’m sure we will make it educational, because are we parents who like to ruin everything fun by making it educational, or so I’ve been told.)

3) We are headed to Iowa in May! I haven’t been back in years and it will be nice to see family. The plan is to help my mom out around her house. That’s it. That’s as much as we have planned, so far. The boys will probably have a few assignments; their choice will be to help or to do school work. If my calendar is correct, they will be finished with just about everything for 6th and 3rd grade by the time we head up. Since we homeschool year-round, that will be our big break between “years”.

I’ve tried to be more creative with their assignments, give them some leeway. Hopefully, after these two weeks of more creative pursuits and some rest for me, we will be ready to tackle the remainder of their “year.”

Here’s where we are now:

Tater:

Still plugging away at 6th grade grammar/writing/spelling. This may be his last year of formal grammar and spelling. I’m still weighing the pros/cons.

He has roughly 12 lessons remaining in his Bible study on Jesus’s ministry. We are going to move right into a new study that I’m still sorting out.

He is currently reading selected works by Edgar Allen Poe. He has been into horror/mystery for the last few books so I threw a curve ball at him with some classic horror poetry and short stories.

Pre-algebra is still happening. Pray for us.

He moved to 7th grade World Studies (Bob Jones)- from creation to present day. Nothing is too in-depth, but it’s a good mix of World History.

He also moved to 7th grade Science (Apologia) – he’s undecided. The first chapter was the history of science (yawn) and the second chapter was on the scientific method (double yawn). But Chapter 3 gets into some “fun” stuff.

7th grade vocabulary is also happening. He has no real opinion on vocabulary. He just does it, and puts up with me.

For handwriting, he is currently copying the Book of James in cursive. Once he has completed that, we will start with selected Psalms, Proverbs, and other selections. I am also copying everything he is assigned. It’s good practice for me as well.

Whiz:

3rd grade grammar, writing, and spelling. He’s up to writing complete paragraphs with substance. It’s been a transformation. Don’t get me wrong, he still grumbles and complains, but he does the work.

We are moving to 4th grade Bible. No more coloring pictures and matching verses. We are getting into the meat of the Old Testament now.

He’s reading the Wind in the Willows. He loves it! I have no idea what his next book will be because we have moved through his list faster than I thought he would. Plus, I’m finding he can read/comprehend at a 6th grade level. Time to increase the difficulty level.

We have 20 lessons remaining in 3rd grade math. He can now add/subtract/multiply. Seriously, I never thought he was going to get those concepts! The last bit remaining for the year involves fractions and division.

He moved on to 4th grade history (Bob Jones). We’ve been studying the history of immigration in the early 19th century. It’s not great; but it’s not boring.

We are just about done with 3rd grade science. I’m still searching for a good 4th grade type science – he wants to focus on animals, preferably the creepy-crawly kind. I’m okay with it, as long as we don’t have to keep a menagerie of them in our home.

He has started 4th grade vocabulary. He has voiced his opinion loudly and frequently, but he still does it.

We are still working on cursive. He knows how to write cursive, but reading it is problematic. He translates my cursive to print, then copies it back to cursive. He absolutely loves it! (That was a lie. He can’t stand it.)

I’m over halfway done with this Whole 30. I’m looking forward to coffee creamer; actually, I’m drooling over it every morning, but I’m being a diligent follower and using coconut milk. For those liars on Pinterest – it is NOT the same, nor is it BETTER! Lies! All lies! Mixing cinnamon or pumpkin into it does NOT make it more creamy, or sweet, or taste like coffee creamer. Obviously. It’s coconut milk that then has cinnamon or pumpkin added. Now, coconut milk with cinnamon and pumpkin is actually pretty tasty, but it is NOT coffee creamer!!

Anyway…..

I’m not minding this journey (except for coffee creamer, but you probably figured that out). Most of my cravings for sweets have disappeared. Although I’m not sure I could resist having to make cookies and not eat the dough. So, I haven’t made cookies recently. Problem solved. I have noticed the ol’ love handles are disappearing! Yeah for that! There has not been a single blemish marring my face in over a week. And I have Rx every WOD since starting Whole30, which is pretty awesome.

I have noticed I’m getting hungry, especially between breakfast and lunch. Today, I bumped back up to three eggs at breakfast and I’m trying to eat a bit more vegetables as well. I generally have six hours between breakfast and lunch (my longest waking stretch without a meal) so adding more to breakfast does make the most sense.

L: Early Valentines Date to A Taste of India: I had a little of everything…. chicken masala, tandoori chicken, goat curry, vegetable korma, cabbage, salad, a tiny rice of rice, and the worlds smallest piece of naan (<– again, I know these last two are big no-nos for the Whole30, but I’m a grown up and decided to eat a tiny piece and I’m okay with it. I’m sure the Whole30 people would be up in arms over it, but I don’t care. I don’t think it’s going to mess up my 30 days). Oh, I had some mango-cardamon-turmeric-coconut concoction; which was fabulous and probably had sugar in it, but oh well.

D: the hubs and I were so full from lunch that we set the leftovers on the counter and said “Figure it out” to our boys. We’re loving and kind like that. I eventually ate a salad with lemon, the last jalapeño popper, a hard-boiled egg, some mashed avocado, and half a mango with some macadamia nuts